Holly to Bolly: Justin Trudeau offers Matthew Perry rematch, Amitabh Bachchan’s neck ‘a bit stiff’, and more

Sarah Dea / The National

Manish Swarup / AP photo

Photo by Scarlet Page

Canadian PM offers Matthew Perry rematch

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau got into the April Fools' Day spirit over the weekend with a lighthearted tweet aimed at former Friends star — and classmate — Matthew Perry.

Justin Trudeau and the actor, who played Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom, both attended Rockcliffe Park Public School in Ottawa.

In an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s late night talk show last month, Perry recounted his memory of beating Trudeau up when they were students.

On April 1, Trudeau tweeted he wouldn’t mind revisiting the fight. “I’ve been giving it some thought, and you know what, who hasn’t wanted to punch Chandler? How about a rematch @MatthewPerry?” he wrote.

Trudeau’s spokeswoman confirmed it was an April Fools’ joke. — Associated Press

Amitabh Bachchan’s neck “a bit stiff”

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who was spotted wearing a neckbrace last month, says his neck is still a tad stiff and is taking long to get repaired.

“The neck is a bit of a stiff one ... And the time it has taken to repair has been long ... But all is well and moving in the right direction,” Amitabh wrote on his blog.

The 74-year-old had previously said that the neck injury was caused by stunts he did in his younger days. The cine icon also took to Twitter, where he shared a special message about autism.

“World Autism day, a day to turn our attention to those children that suffer from autism,” he tweeted.

On the work front, Big B is looking forward to the release of the political thriller Sarkar 3, directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The film also stars Amit Sadh, Manoj Bajpayee, Yami Gautam and Jackie Shroff.

The Piku star will also be seen sharing screen space with superstar Aamir Khan in the upcoming film Thugs Of Hindostan, slated to release next year. — IANS

Iconic New Delhi theatre closes doors for last time

From Bollywood superstars to political heavyweights, the Regal theatre hosted some of India’s biggest names over more than eight decades.

But with nostalgic theatregoers singing their way to the exits after a final showing of a Bollywood classic, the iconic New Delhi theatre has closed its doors to make way for a multiplex.

“It’s the end of an era. It’s very sad,” said Nanak, who had worked at the theatre since 1979. Nanak, whose grandfather and father were part of the Regal’s management team in the 1950s and ‘60s, uses one name.

With its corridors studded with black-and-white images of Bollywood stars such as Nargis, Madhubala, Meena Kumari, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor, the magic of a bygone era was visible throughout the theatre.

For its final screening, the Regal showed Sangam, or Union of Two Hearts, on Thursday night in a tribute to producer-director Kapoor, who premièred his movies at the theatre from the 1950s to the '70s.

Around 600 movie buffs cheered the 1964 Bollywood classic at the final screening. Some young movie lovers came with their parents and grandparents, and many were singing the film’s songs as they left the theatre.

"There was nostalgia," said Sudhir Dutta, 75, recalling he had seen A Tale of Two Cities in 1958 in his first visit to the Regal.

India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and his daughter, Indira Gandhi, also used to watch movies there, said Bhoop Singh, a theatre executive.

The Regal opened in 1932, built by Sobha Singh, an Indian civil contractor and real estate owner. At first, the theatre hosted mainly Indian stage shows. Then came performances by Western classical musical artists, Russian ballets and British theatre groups.

Finally, movies were shown. The 1931 Bollywood film Alam Ara, the first Indian movie with sound, was the first Hindi movie screened at the Regal.

The decision to shut the theatre was prompted by a craze for multiplexes in India. Also, the recent caving in of portions of the roofs of two buildings in the area raised concerns about the Regal’s safety. — Associated Press

James Blunt: ‘Ed Sheeran’s cheap’

Singer-songwriter James Blunt has quipped that he brought Ed Sheeran on board for his latest album, The Afterlove, only because he is "cheap". The album features two songs with Sheeran.

"He's cheaper than anyone else, he produces and did backing vocals. I need to work with other composers or I write the same four chords over and over again," Blunt told the United Kingdom's Daily Star.

Sheeran has produced and sings on autobiographical track Make Me Better. Blunt said: "It was brilliant working with him. After my first album, I kind of closed down a little bit. But he said to me: 'Come on, it's your job as a songwriter to open up.'

“He forced me into a corner. The result is something I was uncomfortable with but glad for because it’s magical.”

Another song Time Of Our Lives, which they co-wrote, is about Blunt's wedding day. — IANS